Method for the detection and identification of failed electronic radio frequency (RF) transmission devices

• US 9,130,785 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comtech Satellite Network Technologies, Inc. (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comtech EF Data (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Beeler, Michael, Morris, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Lugo, David B
• Application Number:
  US13/089,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20110193684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 375/213
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18519 Operations control, administration or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/02 Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation H04L27/32 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system for analyzing an electromagnetic (EM) carrier signal that is operating outside transmission parameters by determining that an original carrier signal is operating outside one or more transmission parameters, modulating the original carrier signal and a meta-carrier signal, the meta-carrier signal comprising meta-data that identifies a transmission source, such that a modulated composite carrier signal results, and transmitting the composite carrier signal to a remote receiving device.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing an electromagnetic (EM) carrier signal that is operating outside transmission parameters, the method comprising:

determining, using a processing device, that an original carrier signal is operating outside one or more transmission parameters;

modulating, using a modulator and in response to determining that the original carrier signal is operating outside the one or more transmission parameters, the original carrier signal and a meta-carrier signal, the meta-carrier signal comprising meta-data that identifies a transmission source, such that a modulated composite carrier signal results;

transmitting, using a transmitting device, the composite carrier signal to a remote receiving device; and

muting the original carrier signal and replacing the original carrier signal with a representation of the original carrier signal that is at a same frequency as the original carrier signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining by the processing device, a center frequency of the original carrier signal using a Fourier Transform technique.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the processing device, dynamic information relating to one or more detection characteristics, the dynamic information used to determine that an output signal from the electronic RF transmission device is operating outside one or more transmission parameters.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining by the processing device, an occupied bandwidth of the original carrier signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, using a power detector, a power level of the original carrier signal.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

using, by the processing device, logic to determine the existence of sweeping or changing of frequency of the original carrier signal outside of a predetermined frequency range; and

attempting to mute the original carrier signal if it is determined that the original carrier signal is sweeping or changing frequency outside of the predetermined frequency range.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

using, by the processing device, logic to determine occupation by the original carrier signal of a bandwidth that exceeds a predetermined bandwidth range; and

attempting to mute the original carrier signal if it is determined that the original carrier signal occupies a bandwidth that exceeds the predetermined bandwidth range.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

using, by the processing device, logic to determine occupation by the original carrier signal of a power level that is outside of a predetermined power level range; and

attempting to mute the original carrier signal if it is determined that the power level of the original carrier is outside the predetermined power level range.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulating uses an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) or an On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation technique.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining and modulating occur within a power amplifier device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining and modulating occur after the composite carrier signal has been amplified by a power amplifier device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising powering the power amplifier device using energy from the composite carrier signal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the meta-data further comprises a manufacturer or serial number of the transmitting device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the original carrier signal is a continuous wave carrier signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising modulating the continuous wave carrier signal.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by a receiving device, a modulated composite carrier signal comprising an original carrier signal and a meta-carrier signal;

detecting, by a processing device, a modulated power envelope of the composite carrier signal;

determining, by the processing device, based on the detection of the modulated power envelope of the composite carrier signal, that the composite carrier signal contains information that identifies a transmission source of the composite carrier signal;

demodulating, using a demodulator, the modulated composite carrier signal such that a demodulated original carrier signal and a demodulated meta-carrier signal result; and

decoding, using a decoder, the demodulated meta-carrier signal such that meta-data that identifies the transmission source of the composite carrier signal results.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein demodulating comprises demodulating the modulated composite carrier signal that has been modulated using a modulation technique of Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) or On-Off Keying (OOK).

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising recording, using a recording device, the demodulated composite carrier signal.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising processing, using a spectrum analysis device, the demodulated composite carrier signal.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising, detecting based on a power detection output, that the composite carrier signal contains information that identifies the transmission source of the composite carrier signal prior to demodulating the composite carrier signal.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising tracking the composite carrier signal if the composite carrier signal is sweeping or moving in frequency.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying, by a computing device, an output of the meta-data.

23. A system for analyzing an electromagnetic (EM) carrier signal that is operating outside transmission parameters, the system comprising:

a processing device configured to determine that an original carrier signal is operating outside one or more transmission parameters and to mute the original carrier signal and replace the original carrier signal with a representation of the original carrier signal that is at a same frequency as the original carrier signal;

a modulator configured to modulate the original carrier signal and a meta-carrier signal in response to the processor determining that the original carrier signal is operating outside the one or more transmission parameters, the meta-carrier signal comprising meta-data that identifies a transmission source, such that a modulated composite carrier signal results; and

a transmitting device configured to transmit the composite carrier signal to a remote receiving device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the processing device is further configured to determine a center frequency of the original carrier signal using a Fourier Transform technique.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the processing device is further configured to receive dynamic information relating to one or more detection characteristics, the dynamic information used to determine that an output signal from the electronic RF transmission device is operating outside one or more transmission parameters.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the processing device is further configured to determine an occupied bandwidth of the original carrier signal.

27. The system of claim 23, further comprising a power detector configured to determine a power level of the original carrier signal.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the processing device is further configured to use logic to determine the existence of sweeping or changing of frequency of the original carrier signal outside of a predetermined frequency range and attempt to mute the original carrier signal if it is determined that the original carrier signal is sweeping or changing frequency outside of the predetermined frequency range.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the processing device is further configured to use logic to determine occupation by the original carrier signal of a bandwidth that exceeds a predetermined bandwidth range and attempt to mute the original carrier signal if it is determined that the original carrier signal occupies a bandwidth that exceeds the predetermined bandwidth range.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the processing device is further configured to use logic to determine occupation by the original carrier signal of a power level that is outside of a predetermined power level range and attempt to mute the original carrier signal if it is determined that the power level of the original carrier is outside the predetermined power level range.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the modulator is further configured to use an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) or an On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation technique.

32. The system of claim 23, further comprising an external power source configured to power the processing device, a detection device, and an embedding device.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the processing and detection devices are external to and downstream from the transmitting device.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the power amplifier is configured to be powered using energy from the composite carrier signal.

35. The system of claim 23, wherein the meta-data further comprises a manufacturer or serial number of the transmitting device.

36. The system of claim 23, wherein the representation of the original carrier signal is a continuous wave carrier signal.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the continuous wave carrier signal is modulated.

38. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

a receiving device configured to receive the modulated composite carrier signal comprised of the original carrier signal and the meta-carrier signal;

a processing device configured to detect a modulated power envelope of the composite carrier signal and determine based on the detection, that the composite carrier signal contains information that identifies the transmission source of the composite carrier signal;

a demodulator configured to demodulate the modulated composite carrier signal such that a demodulated original carrier signal and a demodulated meta-carrier signal result; and

a decoder configured to decode the demodulated meta-carrier signal such that meta-data that identifies the transmission source of the composite carrier signal results.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein demodulating comprises demodulating the modulated composite carrier signal that has been modulated using a modulation technique of Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) or On-Off Keying (OOK).

40. The system of claim 38, further comprising a recording device configured to record the demodulated composite carrier signal.

41. The system of claim 38, further comprising a spectrum analysis device configured to observe and record the demodulated composite carrier signal.

42. The system of claim 38, wherein the processing device is further configured to detect, based on a power detection output, that the composite carrier signal contains information that identifies the transmission source of the composite carrier signal prior to demodulation of the composite carrier signal.

43. The system of claim 38, further comprising a tracking device configured to track the composite carrier signal if the composite carrier signal is sweeping or moving in frequency.

44. The system of claim 38, further comprising a display configured to display an output of the meta-data.